The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-029. This communication notifies Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) SCs, SC supervisors, providers, and other interested parties of the updated AAW Updated Individual Support Plan (ISP) Signature Form (DP 1032 AAW).
The updated DP 1032 AAW is required for all initial ISPs and annual review meetings and should be used effective immediately. The form is available on the MyODP website.
Please view the announcement to access the updated form.
TOPIC — Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview and Practical Application
Over the years the prevalence of autism has increased, Pennsylvania’s service delivery system for individuals with autism has expanded, and best practices to provide quality supports have emerged. To support the individual needs of each person with autism across the lifespan, an understanding of core characteristics must be established. It is also important to learn how the individual’s presentation of autism may change across settings and situations. This seminar will provide attendees with an in-depth presentation on core characteristics of autism and the impact of the characteristics on daily life, routines, and activities. A review of common terms and basic principles used to change behavior, teach new skills, and develop practical application of best practices will be included. Opportunity for discussion and engagement will occur throughout the seminar.
Who should attend?
Where and when will sessions be held?
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
This training satisfies the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance Based Contracting measures CN-DD/Bx.01.1S and CN-DD/Bx.01.1CE for all Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Frontline Supervisors (FLSs), and program managers.
This training also fulfills 6100 ongoing training requirements.
*After logging into your MyODP account, completion of the Demographics Form is required before being able to register for a session.
Please contact the Bureau of Autism Training inbox with questions.
TOPIC: Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview and Practical Application
Over the years the prevalence of autism has increased, Pennsylvania’s service delivery system for individuals with autism has expanded, and best practices to provide quality supports have emerged. To support the individual needs of each person with autism across the lifespan, an understanding of core characteristics must be established. It is also important to learn how the individual’s presentation of autism may change across settings and situations. This seminar will provide attendees with an in-depth presentation on core characteristics of autism and the impact of the characteristics on daily life, routines, and activities. A review of common terms and basic principles used to change behavior, teach new skills, and develop practical application of best practices will be included. Opportunity for discussion and engagement will occur throughout the seminar.
Who should attend?
Direct Support Professionals, Front Line Supervisors, and Program Managers supporting individuals with autism in residential and other home and community-based settings. Professionals supporting individuals in Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP), Consolidated Person/Family-Directed Support Waiver (P/FDS), and Community Living are encouraged to attend.
Where and when will sessions be held?
3 Locations, 1 session per location. 125-person max per session.
Registration will open in early March.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Please contact the Bureau of Autism Training inbox with questions.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared an update to ODPANN 25-017. There has been a change in the platform being used to host the listening sessions, and the previous links are obsolete. If you are currently registered, ODP will register you in the new platform, and you will receive a new link to attend via email. If you have not yet registered, please use the updated links below to register.
Please view the announcement for additional information and details.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-017. This communication announces that ODP will be holding two webinars to give all stakeholders and interested persons the opportunity to voice ideas for updating and improving the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). ODP will take this opportunity to listen to stakeholders and use this input for the AAW 2026 renewal process, effective July 1, 2026.
Please review the announcement for additional information and details.
Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) providers are invited to participate in the AAW Provider Quarterly Incident and Risk Management meetings.
The meetings will be held for all Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) providers and Support Coordinators (SC) providing Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) services. Pam Treadway and Heather Easley will facilitate these meetings with the intent to provide updates on incident and risk management related activities, share AAW data, inform providers of any upcoming changes, review ODP expectations, etc. Providers will be able to network with one another and ask questions directly to the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP).
The upcoming meeting will include a discussion on risk mitigation activities. Behavior Support Services can be an effective means for mitigating risks. For that reason, we strongly encourage Behavior Specialists to participate in the meeting.
January 30, 2025
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Register Here
Multiple staff from a provider may attend but should register separately. Be sure to complete all required information to confirm attendance. A link to the meeting will be send prior to the scheduled meeting date.
Please contact the Provider Support inbox with questions.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has updated the AAW Provider Information Table to reflect the following updates:
Please view the announcement and table for additional information and details. New services, updated language, and changes to services are highlighted in gray in the table.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 24-128, which serves as a guide for American Sign Language (ASL) — English Interpreter services available starting January 1, 2025.
The American Sign Language (ASL) — English Interpreter Service is for individuals in an ODP waiver who utilize ASL. Interpreting is the process of conveying English in grammatically correct American Sign Language and the process of conveying American Sign Language in English.
This service is available to individuals in the:
This guide provides information on the service and its requirements. It can be found under the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind section on MyODP.
Questions can be sent to the ODP Deaf Services inbox.
The Department of Human Services is holding a live, virtual Zoom training to provide Support Coordinator (SC) Supervisors and Support Coordinator Organization (SCO) Trainers the opportunity to apply learning from the Supports Coordinator Monitoring Residential Services training to support their SCs to effectively monitor Residential Services. Each session will include small and large group discussions of two scenarios an intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) or adult autism waiver (AAW) SC might encounter during a residential monitoring. SC Supervisors and Trainers can use these scenarios and discussions as a model for similar discussions with their SCs to improve the thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and quality of residential monitoring.
Session recordings (6 scenarios) will be made available on MyODP and announced through ODP Communications. The recordings can be viewed by SCs and used by SC Supervisors/Trainers to support additional SC staff development.
Audience: ID/A and AAW Supports Coordinators, SC Supervisors, and Support Coordination Organization administration
Three sessions are being offered, with each session exploring different scenarios. You are invited to register and attend one or more of the sessions.
Prior to the sessions, completion of the Supports Coordinator Monitoring Residential Services training is required.
Note: If you are experiencing issues accessing the link, try right clicking the link, selecting “Copy Link,” and pasting the link into your browser. If the problem persists, try a different browser.
